Networked printer systems allow a user to submit a print job for an electronic document to a printer queue or server that can subsequently be printed using one of a large number of different printers. The arrangement allows a user to walk to any one of the supported printers and select the job to be printed. In some arrangements, a secured printing option or mechanism may be available for use with some or all print jobs submitted to the different printers. A secured printing mechanism may include requiring a user to create and submit a print job, go to the printer, access the print job, and release the held print job to be printed. The release of the print job may be accomplished by use of a smart card, an internet or web address login, or some other form of local authentication. Typically, the authentication and release mechanism is unique to each user and permits the user to prevent other users from releasing and printing any secure print jobs held in the printing queue that does not belong to them.
The need to maintain unique and private authentication and release mechanisms for each user a part of printing electronic documents does create some drawbacks. In general, only the user that creates or requests a secure print job can access the secure print job and print the electronic document at a printer. In some instances, if the user that created the secure print job is not available to go to the printer to print the electronic document when printing is needed, then the user may need to either share his/her authentication and release mechanism or share the source file for the electronic document with another user so that the other user may create a print job. Sharing authentication and release mechanisms between users may create future security issues and may further be against business policy. Additionally, sharing the source file with another user to have that user create the print job, using a mechanism such as through email, server sharing, direct copy or any other method of file transfer, creates additional use of resources and leaves the responsibility for properly setting up the secure print job and printing the electronic document with the other user. Therefore, there is a need to address the issues associated with authentication and release mechanisms for printing electronic documents when a user prints an electronic document as part of a secure print job.
Overview
Exemplary embodiments described herein include methods, systems, and apparatuses for releasing a secure print job between users. An exemplary method includes receiving a print job associated with an electronic document created by a primary user, the print job including instructions for secure print authentication by a secondary user. The method further includes providing access by the secondary user to a print list including a subset of secure print jobs, the subset including the print job created by the primary user and sending a print job release request notification to the primary user when the secondary user selects the print job created by the primary user. The method also includes providing the secondary user with an alternate access mechanism for the secure print authentication in response to the print job request notification sent to the primary user, the alternate access mechanism for printing the electronic document as part of the print job created by the primary user based on a relationship between the primary user and the secondary user and providing instructions to print the electronic document as part of the print job when the secondary user has completed the alternate access mechanism for the secure print authentication.
An exemplary printing apparatus includes a network interface that receives a print job associated with an electronic document created by a primary user, the print job including instructions for secure print authentication by a secondary user. The printing apparatus further includes a user interface that provides access by the secondary user to a print list including a subset of secure print jobs, the subset including the print job created by the primary user. The printer apparatus additionally includes a print processor that generates a print job release request notification to send to the primary user through the network interface when the secondary user selects the print job created by the primary user, the print processor further providing an alternate access mechanism for secure print authentication by the secondary user for printing the electronic document as part of the print job created by the primary user based on an association between the primary user and the secondary user. The printing device also includes a printing engine that prints the electronic document as part of the print job created by the primary user when the secondary user has completed the alternate access mechanism for secure print authentication.
An exemplary apparatus includes a memory for storing information for a print job created by a primary user and an associated electronic document, the print job comprising instructions for secure print authentication by a secondary user. The apparatus also includes a processor configured to provide access by the secondary user to a print list comprising a subset of secure print jobs, the subset comprising the print job created by the primary user. The processor is further configured to provide the secondary user with an alternate access mechanism for secure print authentication for printing the electronic document as part of the print job created by the primary user based on a relationship between the primary user and the secondary user.
It should be understood that the drawing(s) are for purposes of illustrating the concepts of the disclosure and are not necessarily the only possible configuration for illustrating the disclosure.